Open Eco Homes 2021 Open for Bookings!

Open Eco Homes 2021 is now open for bookings! This year’s series of tours and talks will include two new builds, six retrofits and five expert-led talks.

The focus this autumn will be on helping you get started with your home eco projects, by providing expert advice to support you to plan your retrofit as well as support with ‘easy win’ actions such as draught-proofing or moving to a green energy tariff.

Shaun, offering a tour of his 1960’s semi, says: “Our retrofit has made a huge difference to our overall standard of living: reducing pollen, dust and the frequency of cleaning; completely eliminating mould; almost no car and hot water running cost; heating only four months a year; no energy cost from home working; and the house is perfect for drying wet clothes indoors (no tumble dryer needed). I could go on…”.

Andy will be offering a tour of his newly built eco home. Built from the ground up with sustainability in mind it is largely carbon positive to run, exporting considerably more energy than it uses. 

This year there is a unique opportunity to tour one of only a few eco-retrofitted churches. Downing Place URC and halls now have solar panels, secondary glazing for the stained-glass windows, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery in the smaller rooms and more.

Talks will be led by expert speakers and current and former hosts, including Mark Brinkley, former OEH host and author of the Housebuilder’s Bible.

Tours and talks this year will be online, although one or two may be able to be run in person. Keep an eye on the events page for details.

Tours

• F-rated home to near Passivhaus, Rachel and Jake, Wed 15 Sep, 19:00-20:00
• Low-cost Retrofit of 1950s Family Home, Suzie & Iain, Thu 16 Sep, 19:00-20:00
• Carbon Positive Family Home, Andy Rankin, Thu 23 Sep, 19:00-20:00
• Edwardian terrace phased retrofit, Tom Bragg & Anne Miller, Thu 30 Sep, 19:00-20:00
• Learning from PassivHaus Living, Bea, Sat 2 Oct, 16:00-17:00
• A whole house approach to a 1960s retrofit, Shaun, Tue 5 Oct, 19:00-20:00
• Eco Redevelopment of a City Centre Church, Margaret Reynolds, Thu 14 Oct, 19:00-20:00
• DIY 1960s EnerPHit retrofit, Wookey, Fri 15 Oct, 19:00-20:00

Talks

• Home Ventilation Choices, Vince House, Tue 21 Sep, 19:30-20:30
• Carbon Emissions in Builds and Retrofits, Mark Brinkley, Tue 28 Sep, 19:30-20:30
• Smart Electric Homes, Andy Rankin & Samin Ishtiaq, Thu 7 Oct, 19:30-20:30
• Planning your Retrofit, Carl Dodd & Bart Hommels, Fri 8 Oct, 19:00-20:00
• Home Energy Innovation, Mixergy and Q-bot, Mon 11 Oct, 19:00-20:00